VW R Division Chief Promises Next Golf R Will Be “Fantastic” But Not Electrified

The all-new Golf Mk8 is in the final stages of development. Our vigilant spy photographers managed to capture it on camera last week, so we know how the production version will look like.

Nonetheless, despite the Golf Mk8 not being launched just yet, TopGear has managed to obtain some juicy details about the upcoming Golf R, as R Division’s chief, Jost Capito, told them that it’s “going to be fantastic” and that it won’t go down the electrified route.

“The crown jewel of performance in a Golf remains the Golf R. We don’t want to take hybrids to a ridiculous strength. A hybrid needs to be affordable and have an ecological reasoning. It’s not just for performance. The GTE is an alternative choice for a GTI customer, and that will remain. The performance king will remain a Golf R, and the Golf 8 R is going to be fantastic”, Capito said.

Also Read: 2020 Volkswagen Golf: This Is It, The All-New 8th Gen Model

The Volkswagen exec was also asked about the rumored Golf R400, which is believed to have been scooped a couple of times being tested at the track. He confirmed that they did actually test such a model, but eventually axed it.

“We did research and customers don’t want it”, added Capito. “They want around 300 horsepower and a price tag below €50,000 (equal to $56,200). To move up to 400 horsepower, you’d lose 50 percent of sales volume and increase the cost of ownership.”

Indirectly, this perhaps tells us that the Golf R Mk8 won’t get around 400 hp either, as that would inevitably raise its price tag. So, it should still have roughly 300 hp available on tap, maybe a little bit more to differentiate it from the current model, but the chassis modifications and other work will make it more agile and, perhaps, a little faster than the outgoing iteration, which accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just a little under 5 seconds with the DSG transmission.

Underpinned by the MQB Evo platform, which is an upgraded version of the current car’s architecture, the regular Golf 8 will launch with the usual three- and four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines at first. The lineup will be expanded to include mild-hybrid or hybrid versions, as well as the GTI and R hot hatches.